Colic
by Vinividivinci
Summary: How do parents cope?  The continuing saga of Jack and Sam's journey towards marriage and family.  Is little Katie too much to handle.  S/J family, of course
1. Chapter 1

_**Totally silly nothingness – more 'slice of life' stuff. **_

The ear piercing screams felt like they'd been going on for hours. Actually, they didn't just _feel _like it – they really had been. He loved his daughter – really he did – but right now he would have happily given her away, if only for a few short hours.

Colic! He'd heard about it, knew that a lot of kids suffered from it, but had never, in a million years, expected his child to have it. He kind of wondered if they would have had a second child if Alex had been colicky, because frankly – it was hell!

Of course, he really shouldn't complain. Sam had the worst of it in many ways. She was still getting up every couple of hours to feed Kate and was severely sleep deprived. On the other hand, he was the one who usually spent most of the night walking the little devil so Sam could get some sleep.

Added to all of this, of course, was the fact that Alex was being extremely needy and clingy. It wasn't surprising really. Life had changed dramatically for the little boy and he too had to listen to his sister scream for hours on end. What it meant though, was that he didn't want his father out of his site during the day.

Jack was exhausted – and he was still trying to recuperate from his accident. It had only been a couple of weeks and he was pretty bruised and battered. He continued to wear a brace for his shoulder and his arm had a complete cast, right to the wrist. The doctor told him it had been a bad break and he was going to need physical therapy. So – here he was, too old to have young kids in the first place, and dealing with a variety of breaks, bruises and muscles that felt as if someone had taken a baseball bat to him. It was no wonder he wasn't healing very quickly.

"Ooph" he grunted as Alex threw himself into his lap. He reached out to steady the little boy and ended up pulling on his slowly healing ribs. "Ouch!"

"Da owie?" Alex frowned and patted his father's cheek.

"Yes, Da owie", Jack replied. "You have to be careful Alexander. Don't jump on Daddy, okay?"

Of course all that did was make Alex begin to jump up and down on his lap and giggle.

"ALEX!" he shouted, clutching his ribcage. That, of course, immediately started the toddler crying, scared by his Daddy's shout.

Jack reached out and carefully hugged the little boy. "I'm sorry Alex, but you can't jump on Daddy, okay? You have to be gentle."

It took a few minutes for him to calm down and then it was like nothing had happened. He jumped off his father and grabbed his hand. "Tum" he said, pulling on Jack's hand.

"You want me to come?" The little boy nodded.

"Tum Da!"

"Okay, okay", he sighed, pushing himself to his feet carefully. He winced as he heard his daughter begin her screaming again. He knew Sam probably needed rescuing but he couldn't deal with both children right now. In fact, he wanted nothing so much as to crawl into bed and sleep for a week. He also really wanted an aspirin. Everything was aching.

As he followed his son into the play room, he wondered if he was going to make it. Maybe he'd been kidding himself and he really _was_ too old to be doing this. The kids needed someone younger, someone who could race around with them and have unlimited energy. Right now he just felt – old.

"Alex, I don't think Daddy can get down on the floor right now." When the little boy's chin began to quiver Jack just sighed and looked at the little Thomas the Tank Engine train that was set up on the floor. Who's idea was that, he thought, forgetting that he was the one who had set it up. "Okay, okay", he struggled to get down, groaning all the way. He realized, not for the first time, that small children – as much as they loved you – were essentially self-centered little beings.

He played for the next few minutes, following Alex' lead. It was increasingly difficult however, as Katie continued to cry. When he heard a sudden 'crash' he became instantly frightened. Not thinking about his wounds he jumped to his feet – and almost passed out.

"Da owie?" Alex looked at him and repeated his words of earlier. This time Jack couldn't reply – he could barely breathe.

After a couple of seconds he managed to tell Alex he'd be right back. "Stay here!" he told his son and then he quickly went to the other room, praying everything was okay.

Well, it was - sort of okay. At least both Sam and Katie appeared to be unhurt. Sam, however, was in tears, curled up on the floor. Katie was in her bassinet, screaming more loudly than ever.

Okay Jack – who do you deal with first? "Sam, what's wrong?" he asked. He walked over and carefully knelt down – although that sent shafts of pain through his side. "Are you okay?" He reached out to touch her but she jerked away and cried louder.

"Come on Sam", he reached down and took her hand. "Let's get you to bed. You need to rest." He managed to stand up by holding on the wall, and then he pulled her up after him. She resisted slightly but then came and he led her to the bed. "Come on, lie down. I'll take Katie. You need to rest."

"I'm a failure Jack", she whispered. "I'm a terrible mother. I got so angry – I – I was afraid I was going to hurt her!"

"But you didn't", he said calmly. "You put her down safely in her bassinet. It's totally normal to feel that way – dealing with a constantly crying baby is extremely hard. And you are _not_ a terrible mother. You are a wonderful mother – you are just exhausted. I want you to close your eyes and go to sleep. I'll deal with everything – just don't worry."

"But you can't watch both of them", she hiccupped.

"Yes I can Sam. I'll take them both for a drive. That will put them to sleep!" It was true that going for a drive was one of the few things that seemed to help his daughter.

"Are you sure? I'll need to feed her soon."

"Don't worry about that either. We have plenty of your milk stored and I can finger feed her. She'll be fine."

"But you've only got one arm Jack!"

"Sam – stop worrying and go to sleep!" he commanded. He leaned down and kissed her gently. "You need rest. Once you've had a good sleep you can take over. For now, don't worry about a thing. If I need help I'll call Danny or Teal'c."

"Okay", she sniffed. "Thank you Jack."

"Hey – you're welcome. Just remember Sam – _sleep_ - don't think and don't worry. The kids and I will be just fine."

He reached into the bassinet and picked up his still crying daughter and left the bedroom. He suddenly realized that Alex was awfully quiet. Hurrying into the family room he stopped and gasped. Alex had gotten a hold of his paints and some water and was merrily painting everything. He closed his eyes and wondered again if this whole parent thing had been a big mistake. The couch, rug, curtains and everything in between had smears of paint.

He hoped and prayed that it would all come out – it was just water color. The problem was that he didn't have time, or frankly the energy, to deal with it right now. He first had to feed Katie, which would take a while, then he'd have to feed Alex and then go for a drive.

He sighed. "Alex, that was very naughty", he said, with more resignation than anger in his voice. "You will have to have a time out for that."

Now he had two crying children. He carefully sat Katie in her bouncing chair and directed Alex to his 'time out' chair. The little boy threw himself down and tried everything to keep from sitting in his chair. Jack finally pulled out his 'general voice' and snapped at the little boy. "Sit DOWN", he said firmly. "And do not get up until l tell you you can!"

Alex's eyes grew big and he sat abruptly into his chair. Any other time Jack would have thought it was funny. Right now all he could do was immediately turn and retrieve his daughter. "Alex, I'm going to get something in the kitchen. You are not to get out of that chair, do you understand? If you do Daddy is going to put Thomas away for two days!"

Of course Alex had no idea how long that was, but to him there was nothing worse than losing Thomas for _any_ time. Thomas the Tank Engine was his passion – and the thought of losing his train kept him quiet, and sitting still.

Jack sighed and headed for the kitchen. He retrieved a bag of Sam's expressed milk and thawed it in a cup of warm water. While he was waiting for that he got out the finger feeding supplies.

He remembered when Alex was little and he'd tried to suggest to Sam that they give him a bottle to give her a break. She'd carefully explained to him that a young baby can turn off the breast if given a bottle too young. "A bottle is easier for them and sometimes they'll refuse the breast. I don't want to chance that", she'd explained. "Maria told me to use the finger method instead." Maria was her lactation consultant and was the supreme authority – at least according to Sam.

So – he'd learned a skill he'd never expected to learn. He had to laugh when he imagined what some of the people who had served under him would think if they saw him sitting feeding a tiny baby with his finger! It would definitely destroy his tough special ops trained soldier image!

The milk was ready so he quickly washed his hands and then retrieved his daughter and headed back to the family room. He was pleased to see Alex still sitting quietly in his chair. His lower lip was quivering but he was clearly trying to be good – and brave. Jack couldn't resist. "That's good Alex. Why don't you come and sit beside me while I feed Katie?"

Alex smiled and jumped up and immediately headed towards the couch. This time he was very careful to get up gently. One of the things Jack loved was how gentle his son was around the baby. He loved Katie and was always kind and loving with her.

"Mama nummies?"

'Nummies' was the word Alex used for breastfeeding. He still breast-fed on occasion and would ask for 'nummies' when he was tired or sick or just sad.

"No – Mommy's sleeping", he explained. "Daddy is going to feed Katie."

Alex frowned, looking terribly confused. "Da nummies?"

Jack couldn't help but laugh. That would _really_ destroy his image – even if it were possible. "No Alex – Daddy doesn't have 'nummies'" (at least not working ones, he thought to himself!). "I'm going to use my finger. See?"

He showed Alex the small tube taped to his finger. The system was rather ingenious, he thought. The tube ran into the bottle with the milk. All he had to do was stick his clean finger into the baby's mouth. She'd suck on it and the milk would come out of the tube into her mouth. Sam had explained that his finger was much more like a breast then was a bottle. He'd raised his eyebrow at that – not seeing the resemblance – but he was willing to give it a try. Surprisingly, it worked rather well.

The trick now was how to do this with one working arm? He could put Katie in her chair, but she didn't usually like that when she was hungry or upset (which seemed to be all the time now). The problem was his one arm was in a cast. He couldn't hold her and feed her at the same time.

It was actually Alex who solved the problem. He got up and ran and got Sam's breastfeeding pillow – the one that went around her waist. He dragged it back and gave it to his father.

'Da – Katie nummies!"

"Alex, I do believe you inherited your mother's brains!" Jack said proudly. Carefully holding Katie, he managed to pull up the pillow and adjust it so that it was against his bad arm. He then placed Katie on it securely and presented her with his 'feeding finger'.

She latched on hungrily and for the first time in what seemed like forever she stopped crying. She sucked madly and he admitted to himself that he enjoyed the chance to feed his little girl. Alex giggled as he watched his father and the baby.

"Kat eet!" he said proudly.

"That she is Alex", he grinned at his son. "See, Daddy is good for something."

"Da wuv Kat?" he asked.

"Oh yes – Daddy loves Katie a lot. I love Alex too."

"Da wuv Mama?'

"Oh yeah – Daddy loves Mommy too."

Alex smiled and sat back – all was right in his world.

Jack continued to feed the baby, realizing again how tired and sore he was. No – he was beyond sore. His ribs really hurt. He was kind of afraid he'd done something when he'd rushed to see Sam. He tried to stretch it out but that just hurt worse.

By the time Katie was done, Alex was starting to get fussy. Jack knew it was lunch time for the little boy, so he slung the baby over his shoulder. "Let's get something to eat monkey", he told his son.

"Ays no mawnky Da!" his son objected.

"You're not? And here I thought you were!"

"NO! Uncow Dan'ow mawnky!"

Jack laughed again, even though it hurt. "That's right Alex. Uncle Danny's the monkey."

His son smiled, pleased to have made his father laugh. When they arrived in the kitchen Jack laid Kate down in her bouncy chair so he could feed Alex. That worked for about 20 seconds – at which point the crying started again!

"Kat cwyin'" Alex frowned. He hated it when the baby cried.

"Yes", signed Jack. "Katie is crying!" He quickly fed Alex – later he couldn't even remember what he'd given the little boy. He then changed the baby. "Okay scout, let's go!" He prayed a car ride would help.

He made his way to the car and carefully buckled the kids in. It took a long time since he was one handed. "Who the hell invented these things", he cursed the car seats. Couldn't they make ones that were easy to use and figure out? Even Sam struggled with the damn things and she was a genius.

He backed out slowly and started to drive. Knowing how tired he was, he stayed in the immediate neighborhood, circling the blocks a few times. It didn't take too long before Alex was asleep. Katie, however, was another matter. She cried for an hour before she finally nodded off. By that time he was about ready to start screaming himself. He understood Sam's frustration. He felt like he was about at the breaking point himself.

He pulled into his driveway and hesitated before turning off the ignition. He was terrified that she'd wake up the moment he turned the car off. Still, he couldn't sit here with the engine going. With a quick prayer he turned the key and then sat totally still – waiting for Armageddon. When nothing happened, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked in the back seat and was thrilled to see both of his children sound asleep. "Thank God", he whispered. "Maybe I can catch a few winks myself."

He was tempted to just lean back and go to sleep, but figured that wouldn't be too good an idea. With a small groan he undid his seat belt. He almost jumped out of his skin when there was a sudden tap on his window. He turned quickly – to see his neighbor Marcus looking at him.

He turned the key back on until he was able to roll down the window.

"Sorry to scare you Jack", Marcus whispered. "I thought you might want some help taking the kids in the house."

"God yes – thanks!" It took a few minutes but between the two of them they managed to get the kids unbuckled. Marcus carried Alex and put him into his crib. He then went back outside, to where Jack was waiting, and carried the car seat with Katie into the house.

"Thanks!" Jack said to his neighbor. "I really appreciate the help."

"Hey – no problem. I don't know how you manage so well as banged up as you are. Should you really be doing so much?" Marcus asked. He and Jack had grown to be good friends so Jack didn't mind the question.

"Probably not, but I don't have much choice. Katie has been really colicky and Sam is about ready to drop."

"Ouch", Brad winced. "We had the same problem with Michael when he was little." Michael was their eight year old son and a favorite of Jack's. "Melissa went to a Naturopath and got something that really seemed to help. I'll ask her what it was."

"Thanks, that would be great. It's hard on Sam – I think she feels guilty."

"Yes, Melissa was the same. But I'd also say it's hard on you", Marcus said knowingly. He wasn't going to say anything, but Jack looked like crap.

"Yeah – I'll be okay. Thanks again Marcus. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep myself."

It was a great plan. He had really been looking forward to a nap. It was not to be however. Barely ten minutes after getting home Katie woke up and began to cry. Jack quickly retrieved her from her little bed in the family room, and began to walk around. He decided to go into the basement so she wouldn't wake Sam up. He carried the portable baby monitor down so he would hear when Alex woke up.

After two solid hours of walking – if he stopped Katie would cry – he was ready to collapse. Just then he heard a noise and realized that Alex was up. He also could tell, from her fussy movements, that Kate was ready to eat again.

With words he absolutely shouldn't use in front of his daughter – even though she was too young to understand – he made his way upstairs.

"Hi Alex", he said to the sleepy looking boy. He loved it when his son woke up – he looked so sweet and innocent.

"Hi Da!" Alex answered happily. "Kat cwyin?"

"Yes, she's been crying, although she's quiet for now. I think she's hungry though. Let's go feed her."

So, for the second time that day he fed his daughter with his finger. This time his head kept nodding as he started to fall asleep. He worried that he'd end up dropping her so he placed her strategically on the nursing pillow and told Alex to watch carefully. "You watch out for Kat, okay?"

"Tay Da", his son answered.

By the time Katie was done – and fortunately she seemed to be happy, at least for a while – Alex was hungry, so he fixed him a sandwich and some veggie sticks. He followed that up with an apple.

They all headed back into the family room and Alex began playing again with his beloved Thomas. Katie seemed okay, although when he'd tried to put her down she'd begun to whimper so he picked her up again. He sat on the couch, watching the two children and trying desperately to ignore the pain which was getting steadily worse.

There was a knock on the door and he prayed that maybe Daniel and Teal'c had been beamed in from Colorado, but when he opened the door it was Melissa, Marcus' wife, who was standing there.

"Hi Jack. Marcus told me you have colic." She laughed at that. "I meant that _Katie_ has colic. I remember how hard it was on us when Michael had it so I ran out and got the homeopathic drops my naturopath recommended. They really seemed to help."

Jack reached out and took the package from his neighbor. "Thanks Melissa. I'll give them a try."

"Are you okay Jack?" she asked, looking at him carefully. "You're awfully pale. Maybe you should be resting."

He grinned at that, although there wasn't much humor in it. "Yeah, probably, but try telling that to the two munchkins! I'll be okay", he said. "Hopefully these will help and I'll get some sleep."

"I wish I could help. I have to go pick up the kids from practice. Is there anyone you could call to come over?"

"The Air Force maybe", he answered, "although they might not be able to handle these two. I'm afraid that would be going 'above and beyond'."

Melissa laughed, pleased to see that Jack still had a sense of humor, although she continued to worry. As she returned to her car to pick up her kids she thought about it some more and knew that she needed to do something. Pulling out her cell phone she looked in the directory under the number she'd been given by their neighbors in case of emergency.

Jack returned to the living room, a fussing Katie in his arms. Alex was starting to get crabby himself – probably thrown by the constant crying of his sister. Jack had just about reached the point that Sam had reached when she'd put the baby down. He was about ready to tell Hank he wanted to go through the gate again – right NOW!

He sat back down in the family room and tried to give Kate the drops Melissa had given him. He figured he managed to get a bit down her, but most of it ended up on her and on him. Alex was in tears now too and he really, really didn't know what to do!

He didn't know how much later it was, but both of the children had finally fallen asleep. Alexander was curled up next to him, his thumb in his mouth, which was unusual for him. Katie was asleep on his chest, although she continued to make little whimpering sounds every few minutes. He prayed she'd stay asleep.

He could feel himself begin to nod off and tried to wake up. He didn't want to fall asleep where he was with the baby. He'd just close his eyes for a moment and then he'd get up and walk around. At least there was some quiet.

"I don't hear anything", Daniel said in a whisper. "Their neighbor said that Katie was colicky and that Jack looked ready to collapse."

"It may be that she has finally gone to sleep Daniel Jackson", Teal'c answered. They had knocked softly on the back door, but no one had answered so Daniel had used the key Jack had given him. They'd entered the house but so far it didn't appear as if there was anyone around.

The neighbor – Melissa – had sounded as though it was very important that someone come and help the O'Neills. She had been worried about Jack and both Daniel and Teal'c knew he was still recovering from his injuries. Hank had been gracious enough to allow the Daedelus to pick them up again. It was almost becoming a standing joke amongst the crew. They must think that Jack and Sam were walking disasters. Which wasn't far from the truth, thought Daniel.

"Should we not look for them?" Teal'c asked. He too was worried about their friends.

"Sure – I just don't want to scare them."

"No, that would not be a good thing", Teal'c agreed, his eyebrow raised.

The two men began to quietly search the house. It was Teal'c who discovered them in the family room.

"Daniel Jackson", he called out quietly. "I have found O'Neill."

Daniel hurried into the family room and stopped suddenly. Jack was slouched against the back of the couch, a sleeping Katie held securely in his arms. Lying with his head on his father's lap was little Alexander. It would have been a priceless picture, except for the gaunt and pale face of their friend. He looked terrible, even in sleep.

"I see what she meant", Daniel whispered. "But where's Sam?"

"I will remain with O'Neill", Teal'c offered. "You go and located Colonel Carter."

Daniel immediately headed to the master bedroom, hoping that's where Sam would be. He was pretty sure that Jack was trying to deal with the kids to allow Sam a chance to sleep. There was no answer when he knocked, so he opened the door silently, only to see Sam curled up on the bed. She looked relaxed and deeply asleep, so he quietly closed the door and returned to the family room.

"She's sleeping", he whispered. "She's probably exhausted." The two remaining members of SG1 looked at the scene in front of them and knew they had to do something to help. Daniel didn't know much about babies, but he had read up on colic and knew it could be terrible for the parents. What made it worse was that Jack was still recuperating. He needed to be resting, not looking after a crying infant day and night.

"You're sure the message got sent Teal'c?" he asked after a moment. He was rather surprised that Jack still hadn't woken up. It showed how exhausted he was.

"Yes, I am sure", Teal'c replied. "I believe we should let O'Neill know we are here. We can help with the children."

"Okay, although I'm afraid to disturb Katie. What if she starts crying again?"

At that moment they could see Jack's eyes slowly open. Unlike his usual ability to wake up instantly and be alert, this time he appeared almost stunned. It took him a few seconds to realize that there were two people looking down at him. He frowned, trying to figure things out, and then sat up suddenly.

"What the hell! What are you two doing here?" Of course the sudden movement caused Kate to wake up and she begin to howl – which then woke Alex up. He too began to cry, frightened by the sudden movement and noise.

"Damn!" Jack muttered, trying to straighten up. That brought a sharp pain to his ribs and he had trouble catching his breath. The next thing he knew Katie was removed from his arms and Teal'c began to try and soothe her. Daniel picked up Alex and attempted to distract the little boy, who wanted nothing to do with his Uncle Danny. He wanted his Da!

"Here, I'll take him Daniel", Jack panted. Alex practically flew out of Daniel's arms and landed in his father's lap, which caused a gasp.

"God!" Jack said, again trying to catch his breath. For the next few minutes everything was a blur as the noise from the kids, along with the severe pain in his side, made him unable to figure anything out.

Eventually things calmed down a bit. Alex settled in his lap - with a glare at Daniel – and Katie quieted down a bit.

"So what the hell are you two doing here?" Jack asked, feeling grumpy and out of sorts, but secretly relieved to see his friends.

"Oh, we heard you might like a little help", Daniel replied.

"Really? Who told you that?"

"Doesn't matter – but it's obvious it's true. You look like hell Jack, and I think we should take you to the doctor."

"I'm fine Daniel, just tired. Kate's been suffering from colic. I'm letting Sam get some rest and was looking after the kids myself." He looked down at his watch and realized that it had been almost seven hours since Sam had gone to sleep. No wonder his daughter was fussy. She was probably starving again. "Alex, Daddy has to get some more milk for Katie. Can you let me stand up?"

Of course the little boy didn't want to, so Jack instructed Daniel what to do. After a few minutes – and more wailing from Kate – Daniel returned with the supplies. "Would you like me to feed her Jack?" he asked. "I washed my hands. You look like you could use a rest."

Normally Jack would have said no, but the word 'rest' sounded so good that he simply nodded and waited for Daniel to get set up. He then had Teal'c give the little girl to the archaeologist. He couldn't help but grin as he watched Daniel stick his finger in the little girl's mouth. His friend was a natural! One day he'd make a great Dad.

"Thanks guys", he said more calmly this time. "I appreciate this. I – God, I'm too old for this. I don't know what we were thinking. If only I was 20 years younger it wouldn't be such a problem!"

"Oh, I don't know Jack. I've read up on colic and I think it's hard on everyone, no matter what your age!"

"Alexander O'Neill", Teal'c said at that point. "Would you show me your train?" Teal'c was looking down at Thomas – which was all Alex needed to convince him to get off the couch and run over to his favorite toy. For the next few minutes he showed Teal'c the wonders of Thomas the Tank engine. Jack had to give the Jaffa credit – he managed to look enthralled with Alex' only partially comprehensible explanations.

Jack could feel himself start to nod off again and this time didn't try and stop himself from falling asleep. His team was here – they'd look after his children just fine.

"He is asleep Daniel Jackson", Teal'c motioned towards the sleeping ex-general. "He still does not look well."

"No, I know. Why don't you see if you can settle him more comfortably? Hopefully our message will get an answer soon."

Teal'c, with Alex' help(!) managed to move O'Neill until he was lying down on the couch. He didn't wake up at all but slept through the entire process. Everyone stood for a while and watched the older man sleep, worried that he would be okay. Just then Katie, finished with her dinner, began to cry.

At that moment there was a flash of light and Thor was standing in the middle of the O'Neill's family room. "You sent a message Dr. Jackson", he said calmly. He then turned towards the crying little baby and blinked slowly. "What is wrong with Katherine O'Neill?" he asked.

"Uh, she has colic Thor", Daniel replied, gently rocking the tiny girl to see if she would stop crying.

"Colic? What is that?"

"It is a condition that many earth children experience", Teal'c explained as if he knew everything there was to know about earth babies. "She is in much discomfort and cries incessantly. It is extremely difficult for General O'Neill and Colonel Carter."

Thor continued to watch the crying baby for a few seconds and then his gaze turned towards Alex, who was staring at him in wonder. "Hello Alexander Carter-O'Neill", Thor said calmly. "How are you?"

The little boy's eyes grew big and he clutched onto Teal'c's legs. "It is alright Alexander", the Jaffa told him. "Thor is friendly and likes little boys."

That might be so, but Alex was taking no chances. He continued to stay close to Teal'c.

"Thor, we were wondering if maybe there was something you could do to help? Nothing Jack and Sam have tried has worked and we're worried about them – especially Jack."

Thor looked closely at the sleeping human and realized that O'Neill had been wounded. "What has happened?" he asked.

"Uh, he was in a car accident a couple of weeks ago. He's okay but I think he is going too hard."

Again Thor nodded and, without warning, disappeared. Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other but, before they had a chance to speak, Thor had reappeared, holding something in his hand.

"I will attempt to cure Katherine of this 'colic'", he said. He held up the egg shaped crystal and ran it up and down her little back.

"You're sure this won't hurt her?" Daniel asked.

"No – it will not. It will only repair anything that is wrong." He glanced at the crystal and frowned. He then rubbed it over her back once more. All of a sudden, the crying stopped. The two men in the room, the little alien and the toddler, all looked at Kate in wonder. She was calmly sucking on her fist – clearly no longer uncomfortable."

"It appears her digestion was affected", Thor said. "She should be fine now."

"Uh – that's great Thor – thanks. I know Jack and Sam will be thrilled."

"I will now attempt to heal O'Neill, although I would prefer to take him to my ship. This will not repair all the damage instantly, although he should be better soon."

"That'll be great Thor. By the way, you couldn't take 10 or 20 years off of him at the same time, could you?" Daniel grinned. "He was complaining about being too old to have young children."

Thor blinked at him again. "Yes, if that is what you wish."

"WHAT! You mean you can do that?"

"Yes, if that is what he wants. I can repair any damage and return him to a younger physical age."

"Uh – okay – yeah, go for it. Geesh, Jack is going to owe us for this one!"

"What about Samantha Carter?" asked Teal'c. "Will she not be disturbed if O'Neill is younger than she is?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that. Can you make Sam the same biological age?" he asked the alien.

"Yes, if you wish."

"Hey, this is great!" said Daniel.

They watched as Thor moved the 'egg' over Jack. He then did his disappearing act again and returned with another, larger crystal. He held this over their friend for a while and then turned to them. "I will need to see Colonel Carter", he said.

"Here Teal'c, take Kate and I'll show Thor where Sam is." He led the little alien to the master bedroom. "You'll have to be real quiet Thor, she's sleeping."

Thor nodded and the two of them entered the bedroom of the sleeping woman. Thor once more used the crystal and after a few moments indicated he was finished.

By the time they arrived back in the family room everything was quiet. Alex and Teal'c were playing quietly, while the Jaffa held the sleeping little girl. Daniel grinned as he watched everyone, again marveling at what a strange bunch they all were.

"I must return to my ship", Thor said. "Please give O'Neill my regards and tell him I will return soon. I would like to get to know young Alexander as he is the first citizen to be born on Othalla for many generations. I would also like to know young Katherine. She too has been given citizenship and my people are greatly interested in the young O'Neills."

"I'll tell him Thor, and thank you for everything. I'm sure Jack will be thankful as well."

After Thor had gone Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other and grinned. "Jack is _so _going to owe us for this one!" Daniel said.

"Indeed Daniel Jackson, I believe you are correct!"

Sam woke up and stretched, feeling more rested than she had done in ages. The only thing she noticed, however, is that her breasts were filled with milk. She sat up suddenly and looked at the clock. She then looked outside and realized it was dark. What? She'd been asleep for hours! Oh no. With a small cry she threw her legs over the side of the bed and headed out to see where her husband and children were. Poor Jack – he must be exhausted.

She made her way downstairs and heard voices speaking softly from the kitchen. She then heard a small cry from her daughter and rushed into the room. Daniel was holding the little girl and turned to her in relief.

"I think she's getting hungry again Sam", he said, as if it was totally normal for him to be standing in her house.

She reached out and took the little girl and sat down and began to feed her. Once Kate was settled she looked up at her friends and at Alex, who was in his high chair eating supper.

"Mama!" he said happily as he munched on some peas. "Kat no cwyin'" he smiled. "Da seepin'"

"Hi sweetheart", she said smiling. "Daniel?" she looked at her friend. "What's going on?"

"Well, it's a long story but your neighbor called to say you two might need some help – that Katie had colic. Teal'c and I hitched a ride -"

"On a space ship I presume?" she interrupted.

"Yeah", he grinned, "The best way to travel! Anyway, we got here and Kate was crying and Jack looked exhausted so we took over. He's sleeping and we were giving Alex some supper."

"Jack! How is he?" she asked, worried about her husband.

"Oh, he's fine. He's sleeping on the couch. Everything is okay now so you don't need to worry."

"Thanks guys", she replied, getting a little teary eyed. "You don't know how much this means. It was so hard with Kate crying all the time. I know it's just a matter of waiting it out, but I don't know how much more of this we can take."

"Yes – well – we -"

"Sam!" A very sleepy looking Jack walked into the kitchen. "Are you okay? Did you have a good sleep?"

"I'm fine Jack and thank you for watching the kids. I feel much better now. How are you?" she frowned.

"Me? I'm – " he stopped. "I'm fine actually", he said, sounding surprised. "In fact, I feel great." He turned to Daniel and Teal'c, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "_Why_ do I feel great?"

Sam looked at him in surprise, wondering at his tone of voice. "I'm sure it's because you had a nap Jack."

"A 45 minute nap wouldn't make me feel _this_ good", he answered. He turned back to his friends. "What's going on?"

Daniel grinned and even Teal'c looked pleased. "Well, we thought we might need a little help so we called Thor."

"_Thor?_"

"Yeah. He stopped by for a bit and helped out. He got rid of Kate's colic – don't worry, it was totally harmless. He also helped heal your wounds. He said to say Hi and that he'd be back soon to see the kids. I guess they're celebrities on Othalla."

Jack just stared at his friends in surprise, but then got a grin of his own. "Geesh – a guy goes to sleep on his own couch and gets a visit from a little grey alien who fixes us all! Go figure. Still, it feels good not to be sore."

"Are you sure about Kate?" Sam asked, looking down at her daughter.

"Oh yeah, we made sure it wouldn't hurt her. Thor said it was a simply digestive problem and that she'd be fine now. She quieted down right away."

"Oh thank God!" Sam said. "I never want to go through that again!"

"Just wait until she's a teenager", Jack said. "This'll seem like nothing!"

Sam laughed. "You're probably right, but still, at least for now the peace and quiet will be wonderful."

The friends talked and laughed for the rest of the evening. Teal'c and Daniel were heading back the next day but enjoyed spending some time with their friends. As they were all heading to bed Jack came up behind them and slapped both of them on their backs.

"Thanks again guys! I really can't tell you how much we appreciate the help. I thought for a while I was going to lose it!"

"Yeah, you looked a bit fried", Daniel commented. "We were worried."

"Well, I'm good now." Jack paused for a few seconds, a worried look on his face. "I just wish -"

"Wish what O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, stopping and facing his friend.

"Oh nothing. It's just – I'm really happy to have the kids, I guess I just wish I was a bit younger, that's all. No point worrying about it I guess. It's not like I can ask Thor to take off any years or anything", he laughed. Teal'c and Daniel laughed as well. It was a good thing that Jack didn't see the look – and the grins – that passed between his friends.

_**Dedicated to all those parents who have had to deal with a colicky baby. Don't we all wish we could have a Thor?**_


	2. You Can't Keep Him Down

_**Pure and simple nonsense with little or no point!**_

It was his imagination, he was sure of it. He blinked and looked again, thinking that maybe it was because he'd just gotten out of bed and he wasn't seeing too clearly. Somehow though, he was pretty sure there _had_ been more wrinkles around his eyes before. Maybe it was just the morning light. It was flattering, that had to be it.

"Jack", Sam's voice called to him from the bedroom. "Can you go get Alex? I hear him waking up and I'm feeding the baby."

"Sure", he answered, giving one last look in the mirror. Yup, must be the morning light. He turned and exited the bathroom and headed down the short hallway to his son's room. He could hear Alex singing to himself and had to grin. Daniel had purchased a children's CD for his godson and Alex knew every song on it. He still couldn't say most of the words but he could carry the tunes.

"Good morning Alex", he walked in the room, a big smile on his face.

"Da!" Alex grinned and started bouncing up and down in his crib. "Up!" He stood and reached his arms out for his father.

"Did you have a good sleep my boy?" Jack picked him up and gave him a gentle whisker rub on his neck, which caused the little boy to laugh and squirm.

"No Da!" he laughed, trying to get away from his father. Jack laughed as well and then placed him on the change table.

"Let's change that wet diaper and then we can go see Mama and Kat" he said.

"KAT!" Alex tried to wiggle off the table. He still hated having his diaper changed and tried everything to get out of it. By this time, however, Jack was a master at it and could change him in no time flat. It also helped that he'd been able to get rid of the cast and brace.

It had only been a week since Thor had 'cured' him after his accident and he couldn't believe how good he was feeling. The wounds were all healed and he felt full of energy. There were no pains anywhere, even in his back and knees which had pretty much hurt constantly, even before the accident.

"Thanks Thor", he said quietly.

"Tor!" Alex cried, wiggling again.

"I'm afraid Thor's not here Alex and stay STILL! I'm almost finished.

"KAT, MAMA!" he wailed suddenly, sounding as if his father were torturing him cruelly. Jack finally finished and lifted the little boy up.

"There, all done." That immediately stopped the crying and Alex was all smiles. "You're a total phony, do you know that Alex?" his father said. "You can't fool me!"

"Da!" Alex gave him a big sloppy kiss and grinned some more. "Mama!"

"Yes, we'll go see Mama. She's feeding Kat."

"Kat nummies?"

"Yes, Kat's having nummies."

"Kat no cwy!"

This time it was Jack who got the big grin. "That's right my boy. Kat's not crying! She's a happy baby!" Boy, did it ever feel good to say that! Even the short time they'd had to deal with the baby's colic had been hard on both of them – no, on all of them. Alexander had been much happier too since Thor had cured the baby.

They entered the bedroom and Sam looked up from the chair where she was feeding Katie. "Good morning Alex. How are you this morning?"

"Mama! Kat nummies?"

"Yes, I'm feeding Katie. I'm almost done and then you can come and give us both a kiss."

Alex struggled out of his father's arms and ran over to his mother. He stood quietly and watched while Kate continued to eat. After a moment Sam put her up to her shoulder and burped her. It was loud – which made Alex giggle.

"Oooh!" he said. He always thought it funny when Katie made noises. "Hi Kat!" He leaned forward and gave the little girl a kiss. She looked at him and stretched her little fist in the air. She had a look of contentment on her that was matched by her mother's. Jack looked on and smiled.

"She okay?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, she's great. I still can't believe how much better she is. If Thor were here I'd give him a huge kiss!"

"Me too!" Jack said.

"You'd kiss Thor?" she laughed. "That's something I'd like to see. It would totally destroy your image as a tough soldier you know."

"Nah, my image was destroyed a long time ago", he said. "About the time I met a geeky archaeologist, a big bad alien and a sexy Air Force officer."

She grinned. "True. We knew you were really a teddy bear at heart."

"A _Teddy Bear!_" he said in disgust. "I was not."

She just grinned in response and stood up to change the baby. He reached over and took Katie. "Here, I'll do that. I think Alex wants to see you."

They spent the morning together, just enjoying watching Alex play and holding the baby. She was quiet and content, chewing on her fist and sometimes her foot.

"God, to be that flexible", Jack said at one point. "I can barely touch my toes anymore!" In fact, the last couple of years his back and knees had almost made it impossible.

"I wouldn't worry about that Jack. It's not a big deal to touch your toes and you're in good shape for -" she stopped and grinned, knowing enough not to continue.

"- for a man my age? That's what you were going to say, weren't you?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine, I'll just show you!"

He stood up then, and started to bend over, knowing this was probably stupid. He could seriously hurt his back if he wasn't careful. Still – he did have his pride!

He was actually shocked, therefore, when he bent over easily. Not only could he touch his toes, he was able to lay his palms flat on the ground – without any pain whatsoever.

"There" he smirked as he stood up. "You didn't think I could do that, did you?"

"I think you were the one who thought you couldn't do it. It's not really that hard Jack."

"Fine! Alex appreciates it though, don't you Alex?"

Since his son was bending and flipping all over the family room he was pretty sure he wasn't that terribly impressed with his father's show of agility. Jack just grinned and got down on the floor and proceeded to wrestle gently with the little boy. He lay flat on his back and held him up over his head, which caused the toddler to giggle and squirm.

"Be careful Jack, you just got the cast off!"

"It's okay, Thor cured me completely." It had been a little awkward going to the doctor to get the cast removed after only two weeks. He'd had to go to one of the Air Force doctors who was told his treatment of the retired General was 'classified'. Jack wondered what the man had made of the whole thing. Probably thought it had all been fake.

"Alright – just don't hurt yourself again!"

Later that day Jack marveled again at how good he felt. Not only were the wounds healed, he felt better than he'd remembered feeling in a long, long time. Oh well, he thought, might as well not look a gift horse in the mouth.

As he was brushing his teeth that night, getting ready for bed, he glanced in the mirror. He suddenly stopped, the brush still in his mouth and toothpaste dripping from the corner. He frowned and bent closer – what the hell!

"SAM!" he called, pulling out the toothbrush and spitting into the sink. "SAM!"

"What? What's wrong?" She came running into the bathroom. "What happened?" she asked worriedly, looking around the room.

"Look at this!" He bent towards her and separated his hair.

She looked at him, startled and concerned. Since he stood there not moving she looked closely at his head and scalp, not sure what she was supposed to be seeing. She had a moment of dismay, wondering if he'd discovered he had head lice or something.

"What is it?" she finally asked.

"Do you see it?" he wanted to know.

"Uh – see what Jack?"

"Look at my roots. What do you see?"

"Your roots?" She was really wondering what the heck was going on. She had never, ever heard Jack make mention of 'roots' before. She looked more closely and then did notice something a bit odd. "Uh – Jack – did you put something in your hair?"

He stood up and looked at her. "You see it, don't you?"

"I – I'm still not quite sure -"

"Brown! You see the brown, don't you?"

"Well – yeah – I guess I see a bit. What is it?"

"What _is_ it? It's hair. What did you think it was?"

"I know it's hair Jack. I meant what did you put in your hair to make it do that."

"I didn't put _anything_ in my hair Sam. I just saw it now. It looks - " He faced her with a perturbed look on his face. "It looks like it's coming in _brown_."

"Coming in? You mean _growing in_."

"Yeah. Here", he bent over. "Look again, carefully."

This time she reached up and separated the hair and looked at the roots. He was right. For some strange reason it looked like the hair that was growing in was brown, rather than gray. She'd never seen anything like it before. Now that she'd noticed it, it did look rather – odd.

"Yes, I can see it", she said. "It _is_ growing in brown."

"Okay – that's just weird", he said, standing up straight. "What in the world would cause that?" he wondered, staring into the mirror.

"I bet it was Thor!" she said. "It must have been him healing you, although why your hair would start growing in brown I don't know. Maybe we should ask him."

"Yeah – okay. I just hope it's not some weird Asgaard disease!"

She giggled slightly. "Somehow I don't think growing brown hair – heck, growing _any _hair would be an Asgaard problem."

"No?" he grinned at her. "I guess not. Although can you imagine what they'd look like with hair?"

"Yech! I don't even want to think about it", she grimaced. "I'm sure this is okay Jack – it's probably just the healing process."

"I hope so", he answered, taking one last look at himself. He then turned back to his wife and suddenly realized how good she looked. He sighed to himself. He wished it was a few weeks from now. It was still too early after the baby's birth to be thinking _those_ thoughts, but his body didn't seem to want to understand that.

"I'm pretty sure Thor healed me too Jack", she said softly, looking at him and correctly reading his expression.

"He – really?" he grinned. "You mean -"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Sweet!"

Over the next couple of days Jack watched as his hair slowly grew in – totally brown. He was a little freaked out by it and kept checking it in the mirror until his loving wife told him to stop it.

"Just get in touch with Thor", she said, "and ask him. I'm sure it's nothing."

It wasn't just the hair, however. Jack was feeling stronger and more energetic every day. He found playing with Alex on the floor much easier, didn't have any stiffness in his knees – or any joints for that matter and – joy of joys – found his libido increasing (although he hadn't ever had a problem there, he smirked to himself). Fortunately, Sam wasn't complaining!

By the time a couple of weeks had passed Jack's hair was half grown in and he refused to leave the house. "I look ridiculous Sam", he'd complained. "How in hell do I explain this to people? It looks like a bad die job."

"Well, soon you can get a haircut and get rid of the gray."

"In the meantime I'm staying in!"

It wasn't just the hair though. Sam couldn't help but stare at her husband as they sat and watched TV that night. He was looking younger – much younger. In fact, if she'd just met him she would have thought him to be in his late thirties rather than late fifties. They really had to figure this thing out!

So far they hadn't been able to get in touch with Thor – or with Daniel or Teal'c for that matter. SG1 was on an extended mission and their little alien friend wasn't responding. Sam was pretty sure that Walter was avoiding their calls now. Jack had been bugging him every day to try to get him to contact their Asgaard friend.

"Jack?" she said softly.

"Huh?" he looked away from the TV. "What is it?"

"It's not just your hair", she said carefully.

He stared at her for a moment and then reached down and picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "I know. I see it too and not just in me", he answered. "You look younger too."

"Really? I wondered but I thought it was maybe just because I was just getting over the pregnancy."

"No – you could easily pass for twenty-five or thirty."

"What do you think this is?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"I think you were right at this is a little gray alien by the name of Thor. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling great. I think he must have done something when he healed me."

"But what about me?"

"You said he'd healed you too."

"Yes – but I thought that was just for the birth – you know, like last time."

"Well, if we ever get the little guy here we can ask him."

"Do you think Daniel and Teal'c might know?"

He hadn't thought of that but – of course! They must know something – they were both there. He'd been sleeping and so had Sam when Thor had done his magic. In fact, neither of them had actually talked to him. "The devils! I bet they do. When are they back?"

"Tomorrow, according to Walter."

"How do you feel about a little trip to Colorado Springs?" he asked.

"Uh – what about the children?"

"We take them of course! What, did you think I was planning to leave them here?" he asked, grinning.

"No", she swatted him. "I just meant we haven't travelled with the two of them before. It might be tough."

"Hell Sam, we travelled all over the galaxy with _Daniel_! If we could do that, what's a little thing like travelling with two babies?"

They were soon to find out. Jack had called and managed to get them all seats on an Air Force flight to Petersen since he still had privileges, even though he was officially retired.

The hardest part of the whole thing wasn't the actual travelling – it was the getting ready. They had to make sure they had everything they would need for the children.

"We didn't need this much stuff when travelling thousands of light years away", complained Jack. "How can two small children need so much stuff?"

Sam simply grinned and sent him to get the car seat for Kate and then they were finally ready to head out.

Jack looked in disgust at the pile of things and shook his head. Babies!

The trip was actually rather uneventful. Alex was excited and loved the airplane. Both Sam and Jack grinned, figuring their son was taking after his Air Force parents. "He's going to be a pilot one day", Jack said, "just you watch!"

"Oh, I believe it. I think she will too", Sam looked down at the baby in her arms. Kate had nursed as they took off but then had been totally content the entire way. The vibration of the plane had made her fall asleep and she was quiet for the whole trip.

There were two airmen travelling on the plane with them and Alex was fascinated by them. Once they were in the air he'd begun to chatter away, mostly in incomprehensible baby talk.

The airmen had both grinned and had entertained the little boy. One of them knew a couple of simple magic tricks which left Alex wide-eyed.

"Cute kids", one of the airmen said. "What're their names?"

"Alexander", Jack answered. "And that's Kate", he pointed to the baby in Sam's arms.

"Hi Alexander", he said, "And hi Kate", he grinned. "I'm Jason Stuckey."

"Nice to meet you", Jack answered, holding out his hand. "I'm Jack and this is Sam." He looked to the other young man who introduced himself as Robert Ing.

"Are you men stationed in Colorado", he asked.

"We are now", Jason answered. "We just got our new posting a couple of days ago. We're going to be at Cheyenne Mountain."

"Really?" Sam asked, speaking for the first time. "What will you be doing there?"

"Uh – deep space radar telemetry", Robert replied, looking rather uncomfortable.

"They really will have to change that", Jack muttered in an aside to Sam. "It _so_ doesn't work."

"Sir?" Jason asked, looking confused.

"Nothing Airman – private joke between me and my wife."

"Oh – sorry Sir", he answered, still looking puzzled.

They chatted for awhile and the men continued to play with Alex, who loved the attention. Sam couldn't help but grin to herself. She was pretty sure neither young man would be quite so relaxed if they knew who they were flying with.

They arrived in Colorado Springs and made their way to their hotel. They'd decided to stay there rather than inconvenience Daniel with all the baby stuff. They'd ordered a crib from the hotel and had brought a travel bed for Alex.

When they arrived at the hotel Sam immediately put Alex down for a nap. She then fed Katie, who also fell asleep.

"I might as well do the same", said Jack with a yawn. "Wake me for supper."

"Great", muttered Sam. She was not in the least bit tired. "I'm going out for a walk Jack. I'll take my phone if you need me."

"Hmmm" he grunted, already mostly asleep.

The next day they headed over early to the SGC. According to their spy (Walter), SG1 had arrived back the previous afternoon. They were all on base but did not have a mission planned so they should be able to corner Teal'c and Daniel.

"I'm sorry Sir", the guard at the entrance stopped the O'Neill family. "Children aren't allowed in to Cheyenne Mountain."

"Since when?" Jack asked calmly. No sense getting up tight – yet! He was holding a sleeping Alex – the little boy had his head on his shoulder, and Sam was carrying Katie in a sling.

"Since always Sir", the young man replied. He was new here and had never seen General O'Neill or Colonel Carter – although he'd heard a lot about both of them. Of course, even if he _had_ seen them, he might not recognize the two people in front of him.

"No, now you see, that's just not true Sergeant", he said. "There have, in fact, been a number of children in the base. Isn't that true Sam?"

"Yes Jack, that's true. There was Cassie and Mirin and Charlie -"

"See Sergeant. Children _are_ allowed."

"I'm sorry Sir, Ma'am, but I can't let you go in."

Jack sighed and reached for his ID. If the man had waited to see his ID in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. "Sam, show him your ID."

Carter pulled out her wallet and handed the man her picture ID. He glanced at it for a moment, and then his eyes grew big. He suddenly stood straight and saluted, even though she was in civilian dress.

"Uh, thank you Sergeant" she replied, feeling funny about saluting back while not in uniform. The poor man looked quite stunned, seeing the _real_ Colonel Carter.

"Colonel Ma'am, welcome back!"

"Thank you", she looked at his name tag, "Sergeant Willis. I am sorry – I know it's unusual to bring children, but there really is a reason."

"Yes Ma'am", he said, obviously still slightly stunned. This woman was a legend. He'd heard she'd moved to DC but he still heard lots of stories about her and the original SG1."

"Uh" Jack coughed, trying to get the soldier's attention. "Did you want to see my ID too?" he asked diffidently.

"Oh, yes Sir, thank you."

This time it took even longer for him to realize whose ID he was holding. At first he was thrown by the picture – it looked like an older man – but then he saw the name. He almost disgraced himself by gasping, but managed to stop himself in time. Instead he saluted again, still holding Jack's ID in his hand.

"Welcome back Sir" he said formally. "I didn't realize Sir."

"Of course you didn't Willis. Don't worry – you did the right thing. Uh – do you think we can go in now?"

"Yes Sir, Ma'am, of course Sir, Ma'am!" he said, his eyes huge. Now he had _two_ legends to deal with.

"Thank you Sergeant" Jack held back the smile. "If we could pass then?" he looked expectantly at the man who was standing in their way.

"Of course Sir" Willis answered, although it took him a few seconds to realize where he was standing and to move.

Sam couldn't help but grin as they made their way down the elevator. "Poor man, I think we terrified him."

"Yeah", Jack grinned back. "One of the perks of the position!"

"General, that's mean!"

"Yup – and I plan to enjoy every moment of it!"

They arrived a few minutes later at Hank's office. The General was busy for the moment so Jack went to see Walter.

"Walter! Good to see you", he said. His former assistant looked up – and his mouth promptly fell open.

"General!" he said, stunned. "Uh – welcome back Sir", he looked over at Sam. "And you too Colonel. Uh, General Landry will be ready in just a couple of – " his voice faded out as he looked again at General O'Neill. "Sir?"

"I know Walter. That's why we're here", he explained. "It's kind of – weird – we know. We figured Dr. Jackson and Teal'c might know something and help us figure it out."

"Yes Sir", Walter answered, this time more calmly. He'd seen his share of bizarre things while at the SGC and this was just one more of them. For the next few minutes he admired the children. Alex had woken up and was grinning at Walter, enjoying the attention. Katie slept through the whole thing.

Jack and Sam had to go through the same thing with Landry. They explained that they were here to see Daniel and Teal'c and get to the bottom of their changed appearance.

"But why do you think they would know anything about it", he asked, puzzled.

"Because I think they're sneaky bastards", Jack explained. "I'm sure they know _something._"

After a few moments Landry had Daniel and Teal'c paged. "Why don't we go into the other room where there's more space." He led the way to the briefing room where they talked while waiting for Daniel and Teal'c.

"You wanted us Sir?" Daniel said as he walked in, followed closely by Teal'c. It was only at that moment that he noticed that the General had a civilian in with him. He didn't recognize him, as the man's back was turned to him and he didn't see the woman at all. "Oh, I'm sorry Sir, we can come back." At the sound of his voice the man turned and looked at him, a grin on his face. It was only then that he realized it was –

"JACK! What the hell!" Daniel stood there, mouth agape. He was looking at a brown-haired, much younger looking Jack. He then realized that Sam was in the room too, holding Katie in her arms. Alex was jumping up and looking out of the window into the Gate room.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c was staring as well, and was clearly surprised.

"What happened?" Daniel finally asked.

"I don't know Daniel. That's why we're here. We wanted to find out if either of you knew anything about this." Jack pointed to his face and hair.

"Daniel, Jack's hair started growing in brown and then we noticed he started looking younger every day."

"Yeah, and Sam is too", Jack explained. "_Do_ you guys know anything about this?"

It was obvious suddenly, from the sheepish look on Daniel's face, that they'd struck gold. When Jack looked at Teal'c he could see that his Jaffa friend was also in the know. "Okay, give!" he said.

"Well uh – it was just a joke, really", Daniel said with a shrug.

"A _joke_? You call me looking twenty years younger a _joke_?"

"Well, yeah. You remember that day that we came to see you guys? You know, when Katie was suffering from colic."

"It _is _only two weeks ago Daniel. Of course we remember."

"Yes, well then you'll remember complaining about wishing you were younger? You said it would be easier to deal with two young kids?"

Jack glanced at Sam, hoping Daniel's words hadn't upset her. He certainly hadn't been complaining about having the kids, just about being able to keep up with them. "Yes Daniel, I remember. I was hurt and sore at the time though so I didn't mean I – "

"I know Jack! All I meant was that you said you wished you were younger so when Thor was talking about healing you I just jokingly asked if he could take a few years off of you. I didn't think he _could_. It really was a joke."

"That is correct O'Neill", Teal'c explained. "He then informed us that he had the ability to reduce your age. We believed you would not mind so Daniel Jackson told Thor to go ahead and make you younger."

Jack looked at them both, a bit stunned to have confirmed what he had suspected. "Uh – is this _permanent_?" he asked. He would really hate to start to age quickly. He was really enjoying how good he felt.

"Yeah – I'm pretty sure it is", Daniel answered. "Oh, and he did Sam too", he said, as if he was talking about her having some kind of cosmetic surgery. "Teal'c didn't think she would be happy to look older than you Jack."

"Thank you Teal'c" Sam said, turning to her friend. "I appreciate the thought."

"You are welcome Colonel Carter", Teal'c bowed his head.

Suddenly Jack let out a crack of laughter. "Oh my God. We lead the most bizarre lives! Daniel, Teal'c, I should shoot you both!"

"What, you don't want to be younger?" Daniel asked, worried that he'd made a huge mistake.

"Of course I do! I just wish you'd given me a bit of warning. Do you have _any_ idea how bizarre it is to have your hair suddenly turn from gray to brown? I thought I had some kind of weird alien disease or something."

"Oh", Daniel responded. "Yeah, that must have been something. I really didn't even think about that."

"No, but you _did_ think it would be funny not to tell me – us – didn't you?"

The archaeologist just grinned but it was Teal'c who replied. "Indeed O'Neill – we thought it would be a nice surprise for you."

"Surprise? Oh yeah, it was definitely a surprise."

"But aren't you happy?" Daniel wanted to know, still somewhat worried.

"Of course he's happy Daniel", Sam answered for her husband. "In fact, he's so darned happy it's exhausting me. You have no idea how much energy a young Jack O'Neill has! I can't keep him down!"

It was only as the words left her mouth that she realized what she'd said. Daniel looked amused, but slightly embarrassed. Teal'c simply raised an eyebrow and Landry let out a strangled laugh. It was Jack himself who looked at her with wonder. He then turned to his friend.

"Thank you Daniel" he said, a big grin breaking out on his face, "And yes, I'm happy. Very, _very_ happy." He turned back to his wife and waggled his eyebrow. "Yup", he said then as he walked over to the window to pick up his son. "You can't keep me down!"


End file.
